Buttonholing device for sewing machines



R. E. JOHNSON BUTTONHOLING DEVICE FOR SEWING MACHINES Jan. 17, 1967 4Sheets-Sheet Filed July 16, 1964 INVENTOR Ralph E. Johnson TTORNEYWITNESS Jan. 17, 1967 R. E. JOHNSON 3,298,339

BUTTONHOLING DEVICE FOR SEWING MACHINES Filed July 16, 1964 4Sheets-Sheet 2 WI TN E58 INVENTOR.

Ralph E. Johnson ATTORNEY Jan. 6 R. E. JOHNSON 3,298,339

BUTTONHOLING DEVICE FOR SEWING MACHINES Filed July 16, 1964 4Sheets-Sheet 3 RES 'IIIII)! I l/III! IIIl'IIIIIII/III INVENTOR.

Ralph E. Johnson WITNESS Jan. 17, 1967 R. E. JOHNSON 3,298,339

BUTTONHOLING DEVICE FOR SEWING MACHINES i FIg. H I05 INVENTOR Ralph E.Johnson WITNESS ATTORNEY United States Patent '0 3,298,339 BUTTONHOLINGDEVICE FOR SEWING MACHINES Ralph E. Johnson, Boonton, NJ., assignor toThe Singer Company, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New Jersey FiledJuly 16, 1964, Ser. No. 383,125 15 Claims. (Cl. 112-73) called intooperation at will for automatic stitching of buttonholes.

Devices have long been known in the nature of attachmen'ts to sewingmachines for shifting work fabrics in the production of buttonholes. Onedisadvantage of such attachments is the. difficulty in applying thedevice to the sewing machine since both the support for the device aswell as the drive connection to the sewing machine mechanism mustusually be established in the one act of applying the attachment to thesewing machine.

Certain known buttonhole attachments include provision for rendering thedrive connection to the sewing machine mechanism inelfective to suspendwork shifting so that normal sewing might be accomplished withoutcompletely removing the attachment from the sewing machine. Such normalsewing with a known buttonhole attachment in place on a sewing machineis, however, far from satisfactory since the work engaging attachmentfoot is specifically designed for work shifting and not for the freepassage of work therebeneath. Moreover, the presence of the knownattachment provides a serious obstacle to the passage and manipulationof fabrics in normal sewing.

It is an object of this invention to provide a work shifting mechanismfor the production of buttonholes which with exception of the workengaging foot is permanently associated with a sewing machine, thusobviating any difficulty to the machine operator in removing, replacing,and storing the buttonholing mechanism.

Another object of this invention is to provide a novel and effectivemechanism for imparting motion to a work engaging foot on a sewingmachine which mechanism is particularly adapted to conform to the shapeof a conventional sewing machine frame so as not to detract from theaccess or visibility of work fabrics at the stitching area of the sewingmachine nor to provide obstruction to the passage and manipulation offabrics during normal sewing operations.

It is another object of this invention to provide a novel and effectivemeans for at will rendering effective a drive connection of thebuttonholing mechanism with the sewing machine mechanism whereby thesewing machine may be readied quickly and easily for either buttonholingor normal sewing.

With the above and additional objects and advantages in view as willhereinafter appear, this invention comprises the devices, combinations,and arrangements of parts hereinafter described and illustrated in theaccompanying drawings of a preferred embodiment in which:

FIG. 1 represents a front elevational view of a sewing machine havingthe buttonholing mechanism of this invention embodied in it,

FIG. 2 represents a head end elevational view of the sewing machine ofFIG. 1 with the sewing head face plate swung into opened position,

FIG. 3 represents an elevational view of the sewing head face plate,viewed from the exterior of the sewing machine, and with portions of theface plate broken away to expose the buttonholing mechanism carriedthereby,

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FIG. 4 represents a top plan view of the sewing machine face plate,

FIG. 5 represents an elevational view of the sewing head face plateviewed from the interior of the sewing machine head and including afragment of the lug on the needle bar for driving the buttonholingmechanism as well as a fragment of the sewing machine presser barbracket for biasing the work engaging foot downwardly,

FIG. 6 is a cross sectional view of the ratchet and pawl drive for thebuttonholing mechanism taken substantially along line 6-6 of FIG. 5,

FIG. 7 is a vertical cross sectional view taken substantially along line7--7 of FIG. 5 of the buttonholing mechanism and including fragments ofthe needle bar, presser bar, and the template constraining spring, andillustrating the relative positions of the parts when the work engagingfoot is secured in place,

FIG. 8 represents an elevational view of a portion of the sewing headface plate viewed from the interior of the sewing machine head similarto FIG. 5 but illustrating the relative positions of the parts when thework engaging foot is removed from the buttonholing mechanism,

FIG. 9 is a vertical cross sectional view taken substantially along line99 of FIG. 8 and is similar to FIG. 7 but illustrates the relativepositions of the parts when the work engaging foot is removed from thebuttonholing mechanism,

FIG. 10 is a cross sectional view taken substantially along line 10-10of FIG. 8, and

FIG. 11 represents an elevational view of the shank portion of the workengaging foot.

The buttonholing mechanism of this invention is adapted for use with anyconventional household sewing machine. In the preferred embodiment shownin the accompanying drawings this invention is illustrated as applied toa zigzag sewing machine of the type described in my United States PatentNo. 2,862,468, dated December 2, 1958. Reference may be had to thispatent for the details of construction of the sewing machine. Thefollowing, however, is a brief description of those parts of the knownsewing machine which are necessary for an understanding of thisinvention.

The sewing machine frame includes a fiat work supporting bed 20 fromwhich rises a standard 21 sustaining a bracket arm 22 terminating in asewing head 23 overhanging the work supporting bed. A main shaft 24journaled in the bracket arm carries a crank 25 connected by a drivelink 26 to a stud 27 secured to a needle bar 28 which at its lowerextremity carries a needle 29. The main shaft 24 thus imparts endwisereciprocation to the needle bar 28 which is journaled for endwisereciprocation in a swinging gate 30 fulcrumed in the sewing head. Theswinging gate provides means for imparting lateral jogging motion to theneedle in addition to the endwise reciprocation so that zigzag stitchesmay be produced.

The zigzag mechanism for jogging the needle in response to rotation ofthe main shaft 24 is not disclosed in the accompanying drawings, but maybe of any conventional arrangement, for instance, that disclosed in theabove referenced United States Patent No. 2,862,468. The coaxial controldials 31 and 32 carried on the bracket arm provide for operatorselection of zigzag stitch patterns as well as for selection of neutralposition of needle vibration, and each dial is provided with a finger31', 32', respectively, cooperating with indicia 33 on the bracket armto indicate the position of adjustment. The finger grip 34 protrudingthrough a notched slot 35 in the bracket arm provides for adjustment ofthe width of zigzag stitching, and indicia 36 associated with thenotches of the slot 35 indicates the selected position of the zigzagstitch width control.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, the sewing machine includes a loop taker 44)carried in the work supporting bed for cooperation with the needle 29 inthe formation of stitches. A work feeding mechanism indicated generallyat 41 is also arranged in the work supporting bed and includes a fed dog42. Both the loop taker and the work feeding mechanism are operated fromthe main shaft 24, however, the work feeding mechanism 41 of the sewingmachine is not utilized during the formation of buttonholes using thedevice of this invention and the feed dog during buttonholing may berendered ineffective by use of a feed cover plate 43. When thebuttonholing device of this invention is not being used, the feed coverplate 43 is removed and any conventional presser foot (not shown) may besecured to a spring loaded presser bar 44 carried in the sewing head 23so as to oppose the feed dog 42 for normal sewing operations. A collar45 fast on the presser bar 44 overlies a presser lifting bell crank 46fulcrumed in the sewing head by which the operator may raise and lowerthe presser bar.

Referring to FIG. 1, a buttonholing mechanism indicated generally as 50is carried, in accordance with this invention, in a face plate 51 whichis secured as an end closure of the sewing head 23 of the machine frame.The buttonholing mechanism 50, as will be described in detailhereinbelow, embodies a unique kinematic construction which provides fora compact arrangement within the face plate 51 so that the face plateneed not be appreciably larger than conventional face plates andtherefore, the buttonholing mecahnism which is permanently associatedwith the sewing machine does not provide an abnormal obstruction to theoperators visibility of the stitching point nor does the buttonholingmechanism impede the passage and manipulation of work fabrics beingstitched.

The buttonholing mechanism 50 includes a work engaging foot indicatedgenerally at 52 of the type adapted to maintain a fixed relation to thework fabric during the sewing of an entire buttonhole. The work engagingfoot as will be described in detail hereinbelow may be snapped in placeand removed quickly without the use of separate fastening elements.Moreover, the act of securing the work engaging foot in placeestablishes a driving relationship of parts of the sewing machine andthe buttonholing mechanism and thus readies the sewing machine for theproduction of buttonholes. Conversely removal of the work engaging foot52 positions the parts of the buttonholing mechanism out of cooperativerelation with the sewing machine and readies the sewing machine fornormal sewing.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the face plate 51 includes spaced pintles 55and 56 adapted to be accommodated in sockets 57 and 58, respectively, inthe sewing head 23. A top cover 59 secured on the bracket arm 22overlies the pintle 55 on the face plate to prevent accidentalseparation of the face plate from the sewing machine and thus sustainingthe buttonholing mechanism in permanent association with the sewingmachine. The faceplate 51 may be swung on the pintles 55 and 56 into anopened position as illustrated in FIG. 2 or into a closed position asillustrated in FIG. 1, in which closed pos tion the face plate issustained by a leaf spring 60 secured to the face plate by screws 61 andformed with an arched free extremity 62 adapted to accommodate a raiseddetent 63 formed within the sewing head 23.

Secured across the top of the face plate 51 is a transverse web 79 whichas illustrated in FIGS. 4, 7, and 9 is formed with an aperture 71adapted snugly to accommodate an exchangeable buttonhole patterntemplate 72. Each template 72 is formed with a skirt portion 73accommodated within the aperture 71 and with a flange 74 adapted tooverlie the face plate aperture to sustain the template in place. In itsunderside the template is formed with an endless rack 75 which ispreferably in the form or shape which the buttonhole will take. Withinthe endless rack the template is formed with an endless 4 groove 76.When the face plate 51 is swung on the pintles 55, 56 away from thesewing head as illustrated in FIG. 2, the web 70 and the template 72therein is exposed for removal and replacement. When the face plate 51with a selected template 72 positioned in the aperture 71 is swung intoclosed position against the sewing head, a spring finger 77 secured asby fastening screws 78 beneath the top cover 59 of the sewing machine ispositioned upon the template and urges the template firmly into seatedposition in the web aperture 71.

Near the bottom of the face plate a vertical slot is formed defining theparallel vertical sidewalls 80 and 81 as illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 8.slot 82 which is formed in the face plate 51 and opens onto the sidewall80 accommodates a pivot pin 83 which extends transversely across betweenthe vertical slot sidewalls 80, 81 and may be secured in selectedposition along the slot 82 by means of a thumb nut 84 which serves toclamp the pivot pin 83 against a slotted escutcheon plate 85 secured byscrews 86 on the face plate.

A feed member for the buttonholin evice is indicated generally at 90 inthe accompanying drawings and comprises a cylindrical upper portion 91and an enlarged 'lower portion 92 which is formed with a transverse slot93 which slot'is closed by a covering plate 94 secured to the lowerportion 92 of the feed member by screws 95. The closed slot 93, thusprovided, embraces the pivot pin 83 and provides for swinging motion ofthe feed member 90 about the axis of the pivot pin 83. The

pendicular axes defined by the pivot pin 83 and the cylindrical outerperiphery 96 of the covering plate 94 both of which axes are disposedsubstantially parallel to the work supporting bed 20 or the feed coverplate 43 on the sewing machine when the face plate 51 is secured inclosed position. The pivotal axis defined by the pin 83 may be adjustedlengthwise of the feed member 90 as provided by the thumb nut 84 and anindicating element 97 embracing the pivot pin 83 may be provided with atang 98 extending through a slot 99 in the escutcheon plate 85 toprovide for an indication of the position of the adjustment of the pivotpin 83 as by the provision of indicia 100 along the slot 99 incooperation with the tang 98.

The uppermost of the fastening screws 95 securing the covering plate 94to the feed member may be formed with an elongate extremity 101 abuttinga shoulder 102 formed inside the face plate 51 to limit downwardmovement of the feed member 90.

The covering plate 94 also serves as a seating element for accommodatingthe work engaging foot 52 of the but tonholing device and to this endthe covering plate 94 is provided with a depending finger 105 formedwith a clearance aperture 106 adapted to accommodate a shouldered pin107 carried on a bracket 198 secured by a screw 109 and inturned sideflanges 110 to a shank 111 of the work engaging foot 52. The bracket 108of the work engaging foot is also formed with an upwardly open notch 112above the shouldered pin 197 which embraces the lower extremity of thefeed member portion 92 to stabilize the work engaging foot. The coveringplate 94 is formed with a vertically elongate aperture 113 and is alsoprovided with a guide pin 114 for the purpose of supporting a latchmember 115 for vertical sliding movement thereon. The latch member 115is formed with an offset and upwardly extending finger 116 which extendsthrough the elongate aperture 113 in the covering plate 94 and the latchmemher 115 is also formed with a keyhole shaped aperture 117 Avertically elongate I embracing the guide pin 114, thus to sustain thelatch member for vertical sliding motion relatively to the coveringplate 94. A wire spring 118 anchored by a fastening screw 119 on theface plate 51 extends across the latch member 115 and engages beneath awire clip 120 secured on the latch member. The wire spring 118 thusserves a dual purpose of biasing the latch member upwardly relatively tothe covering plate 94 and biasing the latch member into a positionagainst the covering plate 94.

Serrations 121 on opposite sides of the latch member 115 facilitateoperator depression of the latch member against the action of the wirespring 118 into a position in which an enlarged portion 122 of thekeyhole shaped aperture 117 is in registry with the clearance aperture106 in the covering plate finger 105. In this registering position theshouldered pin 107 of the work engaging foot may be inserted throughboth apertures 106 and 122 following which a slight upward motion of thelatch member 115 will shift the aperture 117 into engagement with anecked portion 123 of the pin 107 as illustrated in FIG 5, therebylocking the work engaging foot in place on the feed member 90. A lug 45'which is formed on the presser bar collar 45 extends in a positionoverlying the covering plate 94 when the presser foot is lowered by thelever 46 as best illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 7 and in this manner theforce of the spring pressure exerted on the sewing machine presser baris transmitted as well to the work engaging foot 52 of the buttonholingdevice.

Because of the generally vertical position of the feed member 90, thework engaging foot 52 of the buttonholing device preferably comprises asubstantially horizontal lever 124 fulcrumed on a pin 125 extendinglaterally from the shank 111. A pair of forwardly extending fingers 126on the lever 124 are outturned as illustrated in FIGS. 3, 5, and 7 andenter apertures 127 formed on the side flanges 128 of a work engagingfoot 129. The foot 129 may be of a type conventional in buttonholeattachments in that as shown in FIG. 2, it is provided with a roughenedwork engaging under surface 130 and formed with an apertured 131 largerthan the largest buttonhole to be sewn, within which aperture thebuttonhole is formed. Rearwardly of the pin 125, the lever 124 carries adepending stud 132 adapted to bear against the work supporting bed 20 ofthe sewing machine in order to distribute the downward force of thesewing machine presser bar spring uniformly on the work engaging foot129.

For imparting movement to the feed member 90 and thus to the workengaging foot 52 in a buttonhole shaped path, a sleeve 133 is freelyjournaled on the upper cylindrical portion 91 of the feed member. Thesleeve 133, which is free to turn and also to shift axially relativelyto the feed member 90, carries at its lower extremity a ratchet wheel134, the periphery of which may protrude through a slot 135 which is,formed in the face plate 51. At the upper extremity of the sleeve 133 isformed a pinion 136 with an axial pin 137 protruding therefrom andadapted to engage the endless rack 75 of the template 72. As illustratedin FIGS. 4, 7, and 9, the teeth of the pinion 136 are maintained in meshwith the endless rack 75 by the pin 137 which is constrained in thegroove 76 of the template. Beneath the pinion 136 the sleeve 133 isformed with an annular flange 138 which overlies and rides upon a guidebracket 139 which is pivoted on the pin 140 in the face plate and isbiased upwardly by means of a spring 141 which bears upon a tang 142extending from the guide bracket 139. The transverse web 70 in which thetemplate is located is formed with depending guide flanges 143 whichcomplement the guide bracket 139 and sustain the annular flange 138 ofthe sleeve 133 in such position as to maintain the pinion 136 in meshwith the template throughout the entire range of possible motion of thefeed member 90.

Beneath the sleeve 133 on the cylindrical upper portion 91 of the feedmember 90, a second sleeve 145 is slidably constrained for motionaxially along the cylindri- 6. cal upper portion 91 of the feedmem'berby means of a guide pin 146 threaded into the feed member andconstrained in a vertical slot 147 in the sleeve 145. A light coilspring 148 interposed between the ratchet wheel 134 and the sleeve 145serves to bias the sleeve 145 downwardly. A lug 150 protruding from theneedle bar drive stud 27 is disposed when the face plate 51 is closed toun derlie a-lateral extension 151 formed on the sleeve 145, thus todrive the sleeve 145 upwardly during each up stroke of the sewingmachine needle. The sleeve 145 has journaled upon it on an axissubstantially parallel to the cylindrical upper portion 91 of the'feedmember a pin 152 to which is secured a lateral arm 153. Extendingupwardly from the lateral arm 153 and offset from the pin 152 asillustrated in FIG. 6 is a pawl 154 which cooperates with the ratchetwheel 134 to impart step-by-step turning movement to the pinion, onestep during each reciprocation of the sewing machine needle. The pawl154 is formed with an inclined ratchet tooth engaging surface 155. Aspring 156 biases the ratchet tooth engaging surface 154 of the pawltoward the ratchet teeth and upon the upward motion of the sleeve 145the inclined ratchet tooth engaging surface will drive the ratchet wheelin a clockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 6. Upon a downward motion ofthe sleeve 145 the spring 156 will yield permitting. the pawl to swingabout the pin 152 so that a retrograde motion will not be imparted tothe pinion 136.

Referring to FIG. 8 which illustrates the position of parts when thework engaging foot has been removed from the buttonholing device, itwill beapparent that the upstanding finger 116 on the latch member willcontact and elevate the sleeve when the latch member 115 is releasedthus to shift and hold the sleeve 145 into a position out of the rangeof motion of the drive lug for the buttonholingdevice on the needle bar.For this purpose the wire spring 118 which elevates the latch member 115is preferably of sufficient strength to overcome the coil spring 148which assists in returning the sleeve 145.

In operation the buttonholing mechanism as described above may bereadied for buttonholing operations by securing the work engaging footthereto, placing a template having an endless rack of the desired lengthpositioned in the transverse web .70, securing the face plate in closedposition on the sewing head, and depressing the presser lifting lever 46to apply the spring pressure of the sewing machine presser mechanism tothe work engaging foot of the buttoning device thus to clamp a workfabric against the feed cover plate 43. The buttonholing mechanismduring endwise reciprocation of the sewing machine needle 29 will impartto the work enengaging foot of the buttonholing device thus to clamp arelatively to the path of endwise reciprocation of the needle. Thelength of the closed buttonhole shaped path will depend upon the lengthof the endless rack in the template 72 and the width of the buttonholeshaped path will depend in part upon the width of the rack in thetemplate 72 and in part upon the selected position of the pivot pin 83which can modify the width of the resulting buttonhole to a limiteddegree. The form of the buttonholing device disclosed hereinaboveprovides only for work shifting motion in the buttonhole shaped path,the stitch 'by stitch zigzag motion necessary to provide a coveringstitch along each side of the buttonhole will be provided by the zigzagmechanism of the sewing machine and to this end the control dials 31 and32 as well as the finger grip 34 must be set in positions which willprovide for an appropriate bight and pattern of zigzag needle motion ofthe sewing machine. The length of the buttonhole produced can be readilychanged simply by swinging out the cover plate 51 and exchanging thetemplate 72 for one which has an endless rack of the appropriate length.The width of the resulting buttonhole may be varied by an adjustment ofthe thumb nut 84 and also to a degree by adjustment of the sewingmachine bight 7 setting with the use of the finger grip 34. The bightsetting of the sewing machine zigzag motion also provides. a means foradjusting the cutting space, i.e., the space between the rows of zigzagstitches at each side of the buttonhole.

As illustrated in FIG. 1 of the drawings, the buttonholing mechanism ofthis invention is contained substantially within the confines of theconventional sewing machine frame and thus while buttonholing with thismechanism, the visibility and access to the stitching point of thesewing machine is not impeded. When the work engaging foot 52 of thebuttonholing mechanism is removed from the machine, only a small portionof the lower extremity 92 of the feed member 90, a small portion of thecovering plate 94, and a small portion of the latch member 115 protrudebeneath the face plate 51 of the sewing machine. Thus when thebuttonholing mechanism is not in use, although the devices remain as apermanent part of the sewing machine and ready for immediate use, thispresence does not detract in any appreciable way from the normaloperation of the sewing machine nor does this presence impede visibilityof access to the stitching area of the sewing machine.

Having set forth the nature of this invention what I claim herein is: p

1. A work shifting mechanism for a sewing machine having a frame formedwith a fiat work supporting bed, and stitch forming instrumentalitiesand actuating mechanism therefor carried in said frame, said workshifting mechanism comprising, an' elongate member disposedsubstantially perpendicular to said fl'atwork supporting bed, meanscarried on said sewing machine frame and providing pivotal support forsaid member on mutually perpendicular axes parallel to said worksupporting bed, drive means operated by said sewing'machine actuatingmechanism for imparting swinging movement to said member about saidmutually perpendicular axes, and a Work engaging foot secured to saidmember and adapted to overlie said working supporting bed.

2. A work shifting mechanism for a'sewing machine having a frame formedwith a fiat'work supporting bed and a bracket arm overhanging said bed,stitch forming instrumentalities and actuating mechanism thereforcarried in said frame, said work shifting'mechanism comprising anelongate member disposed substantially perpendicular to said flat worksupporting bed, means carried on' said bracket arm and providing pivotalsupport for said member on mutually perpendicular axes parallel to saidwork supporting bed, said pivotal support means including a pivot pindefining one of said mutually perpendicular axes and means forpositioning said pivot pin in said bracket arm in selected positiontoward and away from said work supporting bed, drive means operated bysaid sewing machine actuating mechanism for imparting orbital motion ina predetermined path to that extremity of said elongate member remotefrom said work supporting bed, and a work engaging foot secured to thatextremity of said elongate member contiguous to said work supportingbed.

3. A work shifting mechanism for a sewing machine having a frame formedwith a flat work supporting bed, and stitch forming instrumentalitiesand actuating mechanism therefor carried in said frame, said workshifting mechanism comprising, an elongate member disposed substantiallyperpendicular to said flat work supporting bed, said elongate memberincluding at least two elements lengthwise slidably interconnected,means carried on said sewing machine frame and providing pivotal supportfor said member on mutually perpendicular axes parallel to said worksupporting bed, drive means operated by said sewing machine actuatingmechanism for imparting swinging movement to said elements of saidmember about said mutually perpendicular axes, a work engaging footsecured to the other of said two elements of said member and adapted tooverlie said work supporting bed,

8 and means for biasing said work engaging foot against said worksupporting bed.

4. A buttonholing mechanism for a sewing machine having a frameformed-with a fiat work supporting bed, and stitch forminginstrumentalities and actuating mechanism therefor carried in saidframe, said buttonholing mechanism comprising, an elongate feed memberdisposed lengthwise substantially perpendicular to said fiat worksupporting bed, means carried in said sewing machine frame forconstraining said feed member lengthwise slidably in said sewing machineframe and for providing pivotal support for said feed member on mutuallyperpendicular axes parallel to said work supporting bed, a pinionjournaled relatively to said feed member on an axis disposed lengthwiseof said feed member and substantially perpendicular to said fiat worksupporting bed, an endless rack carried by said sewing machine in meshwith said pinion, means sustaining said pinion in mesh with said endlessrack, drive means operated by said sewing machine actuating mechanismfor imparting stepbystep rotary motion to said pinion in-one directionof rotation, a work engaging foot secured to said feed member andadapted to overlie said work supporting bed, and means carried by saidsewing machine frame for biasing said feed member lengthwise to urgesaid work engaging foot toward said work supporting bed.

5. A buttonholing mechanism as set forth in claim 4 in which said drivemeans comprises a ratchet wheel secured for turning movement with saidpinion, a sleeve slidably supported for movement lengthwise along saidfeed member toward and away from said ratchet wheel, a pawl pivotallysupported on said sleeve and biased into engagement with said ratchetwheel, and a drive element associated with said sewing machine actuatingelement adapted to reciprocate said sleeve lengthwise along said feedmember during operation of said sewing machine.

6. A buttonholing mechanism as set forth in claim 4 in which said meansfor providing pivotal support'for said feed member on mutuallyperpendicular axes parallel to said work supporting bed includes a pivotpin defining one of said mutually perpendicular axes and means forpositioning said pivot pin in said sewing machine frame in selectedposition toward and away from said sewing machine work supporting bed.

7. A buttonholing mechanism asset forth in claim 4 including a latchmember carried on said feed member for movement into and out of aposition effective to secure said work engaging foot on said feedmember, and an element carried by said latch member and disposed in theineffective position of said latch member to interrupt said drive meansoperated by said sewing machine actuating mechanism for impartingstep-by-step rotary motion to said pinion.

8. A buttonholing mechanism for a sewing machine having a frame formedwith a flat work supporting bed, stitch forming instrumentalitiesincluding a needle supported for endwise reciprocating and lateraljogging movements in the formation of zigzag stitches, and actuatingmechanism in said frame for said stitch forming instrumentalities, saidbuttonholing device comprising an elongate member disposed substantiallyperpendicular to said flat work supporting bed, means carried on saidsewing machine frame and providing pivotal support for said elongatemember on mutually perpendicular axes parallel to said work supportingbed, drive means operated by said actuating mechanism for said sewingmachine stitch forming instrumentalities for imparting orbital movementin a predetermined path to said elongate member about said mutuallyperpendicular axes, and a work engaging foot secured to said elongatemember and adaptedto overlie said work supporting bed.

9. A buttonholing mechanism for a sewing machine having a frameincluding a work support and a bracket arm overhanging said worksupport, stitch forming instrumentalities including an endwisereciprocatoryneedle carried on said bracket arm and actuating mechanismin said frame for said stitch forming instrumentalities, saidbuttonholing mechanism comprising a pinion rotatable on a substantiallyvertical axis in said sewing machine bracket arm, means operated by theactuating mechanism for said sewing machine stitch forminginstrumentalities for imparting step-by-step rotation in one directionto said pinion, an exchangeable template with an endless rack, means foraccommodating insertion of said template from the top of said bracketarm downwardly into meshing relation of said pinion with said endlessrack, means for constraining said template against rotation relativelyto said bracket arm so as to provide for relative orbital motion betweensaid template and said pinion upon turning movement of said pinion, amotion transmitting member responsive to said relative orbital motionbetween said template and said pinion, means pivotally supporting saidmotion transmitting member in said bracket arm beneath the level of saidpinion, and a work engaging foot carried by said motion transmittingmember beneath the level of said pivotal supporting means.

10. A buttonholing mechanism for a sewing machine having a frameincluding a work support and a bracket arm overhanging said worksupport, stitch forming instrumentalities including an endwisereciprocatory needle carried on said bracket arm, actuating mechanism insaid frame for said stitch forming instrumentalities, and pressermechanism carried in said bracket arm for biasing work downwardlyagainst said Work support, said buttonholing mechanism comprising apinion rotatable atop a stud carried on a substantially vertical axis insaid sewing machine bracket arm, means operated by the actuatingmechanism for said sewing machine and stitch forming instrumentalitiesfor imparting step-by-step rotation in one direction to said pinion, anexchangeable template formed at one side with an endless rack, means foraccommodating insertion of said template downwardly into said bracketarm with the endless rack in the underside of said template disposed inmeshing relation with said pinion, means for constraining said templateagainst rotation relatively to said bracket arm so as to provide forrelative orbital motion between said template and said pinion uponturning movement of said pinion, a motion transmitting member responsiveto said relative orbital motion between said template and said pinion,means shiftably supporting said motion transmitting member in saidbracket arm beneath the level of said pinion, a work engaging footdetachably secured to said motion transmitting member beneath the levelof said shiftable supporting means, and means for applying the downwardbias of said sewing machine presser mechanism on said work engagingfoot.

11. A buttonholing mechanism for a sewing machine having a frame formedwith a fiat work supporting bed, stitch forming instrumentalities andactuating mechanism therefor carried in said frame, said buttonholingdevice comprising an elongate member disposed substantiallyperpendicular to said flat work supporting bed, means carried on saidsewing machine frame and providing pivoted support for said elongatemember on mutually perpendicular axes parallel to said work supportingbed, drive means Operated by said sewing machine actuating mechanism forimparting orbital movement in a predetermined path to said elongatemember about said mutually perpendicular axes, a lever fulcrumed betweenits ends on said elongate member, said lever arranged substantiallyparallel to said work supporting bed, a work engaging foot overlyingsaid work supporting .bed and pivotally connected beneath said lever atone side of said fulcrum, and a bearing stud overlying said worksupporting bed and depending from said lever at that side of saidfulcrum opposite said work engaging foot.

12. In a sewing machine having a frame including a work supporting bedand a bracket arm overhanging said work supporting bed providing a clearspace therebetween for manipulation of work fabrics, a needle bar and apresser bar projecting from said bracket arm into said clear space, andactuating mechanism within said frame for reciprocating said needle bar,the improvement which comprises a buttonhole producing mechanismincluding, a work feeding member carried on said backet arm and disposedsubstantialy completely out of said clear space, means providing pivotedsupport for said work feeding member on said bracket arm on mutuallyperpendicular axes parallel to said work supporting bed, interengagingmeans on said work feeding member and on said bracket arm for impartinga predetermined program of orbital movement to said work feeding memberabout said mutually perpendicular axes, a drive connection with saidsewing machine actuating means for operating said interengaging means, awork engaging foot adapted to overlie said work supporting bed beneathsaid needle bar, and means detachably connecting said work engaging footto said work feeding member.

13. A buttonhole producing mechanism as set forth in claim 12 includingmeans responsive to detachment of said work engaging foot from said workfeed member for rendering ineffective said drive connection with saidsewing machine actuating means.

14. In a sewing machine having a frame including a work supporting bed,a hollow bracket arm overhanging said work supporting bed providing aclear space therebetween, an end cover plate enclosing the freeextremity of said hollow bracket arm, a needle bar and a presser barprojecting from said bracket arm into said clear space, and actuatingmechanism carried in said hollow bracket arm for reciprocating saidneedle bar, the improvement which comprises a buttonhole producingmechanism including, an elongate Work feeding member arrangedsubstantially vertically in said end cover plate and having an upperextremity disposed within the enclosure between said end cover plate andsaid hollow bracket arm and a lower extremity projecting beneath saidend cover plate and into said clear space, means for pivotally andslidably supporting said work feeding member between the upper and lowerextremities thereof on said end cover plate, interengaging means on theupper extremity of said work feeding member and on said end cover platefor imparting a predetermined program of pivotal and sliding movement tosaid work feeding member, a drive connection with said sewing machineactuating means for operating said interengaging means, a work engagingfoot adapted to overlie said work supporting bed beneath said needlebar, and means detachably securing said work engaging foot on the lowerevtremity of said work feeding member.

15. In a sewing machine having a frame including a work supporting bed,a hollow bracket arm overhanging said work supporting bed providing aclear space therebetween, an end cover plate enclosing the freeextremity of said hollow bracket arm, a needle bar and a presser barprojecting from said bracket arm into said clear space, and actuatingmechanism carried in said hollow bracket arm for reciprocating saidneedle bar, the improvement which comprises a buttonhole producingmechanism including, an elongate work feeding member arrangedsubstantially vertically in said end cover plate and having an upperextremity disposed within the enclosure between said end cover plate andsaid hollow bracket arm and a lower extremity projecting beneath saidend cover plate and into said clear space, means for pivotally andslidably supporting said work feeding member between the upper and lowerextremities thereof on said end cover plate, a pinion journaled on theupper extremity of said feed member, a replaceable template carried insaid end cover plate and formed with an endless rack disposed in meshwith said pinion, a drive connection with said sewing machine actuatingmechanism for imparting step-by-step turning movement to said pinion, awork engaging foot adapted to overlie said work supporting bed beneathsaid needle 1 1 12 bar, and means detachably securing said work engaging3,117,542 1/1964 Schenkengel 11277 foot on the lower extremity of saidWork feeding member. 3 1 7 35 4 19 4 Taketomi 112 73 X References Citedby the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 210,370 11/1878 Tait 11272 552,9411/1896 Weiss.

JORDAN FRANKLIN, Primary Examiner.

H. H. HUNTER, Assistant. Examiner.

1. A WORK SHIFTING MECHANISM FOR A SEWING MACHINE HAVING A FRAME FORMEDWITH A FLAT WORK SUPPORTING BED, AND STITCH FORMING INSTRUMENTALITIESAND ACTUATING MECHANISM THEREFOR CARRIED IN SAID FRAME, SAID WORKSHIFTING MECHANISM COMPRISING, AN ELONGATE MEMBER DISPOSED SUBSTANTIALLYPERPENDICULAR TO SAID FLAT WORK SUPPORTING BED, MEANS CARRIED ON SAIDSEWING MACHINE FRAME AND PROVIDING PIVOTAL SUPPORT FOR SAID MEMBER ONMUTUALLY PERPENDICULAR AXES PARALLEL TO SAID WORK SUPPORTING BED, DRIVEMEANS OPERATED BY SAID SEWING MACHINE ACTUATING MECHANISM FOR IMPARTINGSWINGING MOVEMENT TO SAID MEMBER ABOUT SAID MUTUALLY PERPENDICULAR AXES,AND A WORK ENGAGING FOOT SECURED TO SAID MEMBER AND ADAPTED TO OVERLIESAID WORKING SUPPORTING BED.